Stewart worked through more warm-ups than he could count on one hand but was left stranded on the sidelines, coach Nick Stiles choosing not to blood the young gun.

"You sit there and you just get shivers down your spine, sitting on the bench," he said.

"It's a dream come true, even though I didn't get on.

"It's an experience you can never take back, even if I didn't get on, I still take the full experience out of it."Stewart's Man-of-the-Match performance on Sunday paints a picture as to the kind of all-round talent he is.

Kicks of 50m plus off one step, runs which threaten the defensive line, marshall-like organisation and a pinpoint pass on either side are all facets of the Stewart game.

He went high on a few tackles yesterday, just as Quade Cooper tends to do, but made one try-saving stop on NSW scrumhalf Theo Strang as the last line of defence.

His attacking game is not to be underestimated but it is Stewart's kicking game that has caught the eye of Stiles.

There were a handful of kicks which brought the Ballymore crowd to its feet on Sunday.Stewart twice identified space from his own 22m and put the ball over the head of the Gen Blue back three, landing centimetres from the sideline and putting NSW back in their own 22m.

"It's sort of developed (his kicking game), I do a lot of practice with it in trying to pinpoint it and make it better," Stewart said.

"If I keep kicking and keep improving, we will just see what happens." - Hamish Stewart.

With Cooper serving the final match of his three-game suspension, Stewart should be in line for another chance to debut when the Reds take on the Brumbies in Canberra on Saturday night.

"I just need to keep playing solid footy and hopefully the chance comes.